Shaft-hanger



J. C. FITZGERALD.

SHAFT HANGER.

APPLICATION FILED JULYZI, 1920. 1,387,044. v

Patented Aug. 9, 1921.

fig; 2.

Inventor Wit ness f unrrs sre JEREMIAE c. FITZGERALD,

SHAFT-HANGER.

Application filed ul 21, 1920. Serial No. set/sea To all whom it mayconcern: 7

Be it known that I, JEREMIAH G. FITZ- GERALD, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Kilbourn, in the county of Columbia and Stateof Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful ImprovementsinShaft-Hangers, of which. the following is a specification. V

This invention relates to improvements in a hanger for shafts, suchasare used inconnection with machines of various'kinds for transmittingpower thereto, and it consists in certain peculiarities of theconstruction and the combination of parts hereinafter fully describedand specifically claimed.

The invention has for its principal object the production of a shafthanger having the qualities of all adaptability that 1s requisite inview of the various positions, drops and sizes of shafts for which itmay be used, of convenience in mounting and dismounting the shaft and ofpossibility of cheap manufacture.

Another object is to or provide a shaft hanger having a flexible bearingmember for the shaft whereby undue wear and excesssive heating will beprevented.

Still another object is to so constructand arrange the partsof thedevice that the bearing member's for the shaft can be rea'dlly changedto accommodate shafts of different slzes. 1 7 I i Other objects andadvantages of the invention will be set forthin the followlngdescription and explanation. 7 In the accompanying drawing wh1ch servesto illustrate an embodiment of the invention i Figure 1 is a side viewof a shaft hanger showing it mounted in one of the positions for whichit is adaptable. Fig; 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on .line 2-2of Fig. 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a detached plan view of the supporting base. I i

Fig. 4 is a plan sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a slightly enlarged detached perspective view of thelower-portion of the 7 frame of the hanger showing the bearing for theshaft in the act ofbeing removed from said frame, and I Fig. v6 is anendview of'a modified form of the keeper or retainer for the bearingsleeve or member for the shaft showing said her as shown.

sleeve or member in positionwithin said keeper. f f

Corresponding numerals of reference designate like parts throughout thedifferent views of the drawings. V In the drawings, I have shown thehanger as being mounted on an overhead support and as dependingtherefro;m and in the fol lowing description and explanation will sorefer to the parts or elements, b utIdesire Specification of LettersPatent. Patented :Aflg'. 9,.

it to be understood that the device canbe mounted to depend from aceiling or elevated support, or to extendupwardly from a floor orsupport, or if, desired, can be mounted on a vertical wallor support soas to extend "laterally. or horizontally there:

from, and in any 'offsaicl'positi'onsproperly i maintain a shaft.

' -Referring' now to Figs." 1 2' of the drawing, the referencenur'oeral'lO designates a portion of a ceiling or elevated support towhich is horizontally secured by means of bolts 11 a supporting basewhich is aesi nated as a whole by thereference numeral 12 and consistsof an elongatedplate orfbar,

by preference, substantially "U-shapeddn cross-section. This supportingbase is pro vi'ded ateach of" its ends-with afoot 1 3 dis posed' in thesame plane and each 'of said feet is provided with an opening 1% for thereception of thebolts If used in securing it to thepermanent'orfiXedsu-pport 10 of a building or structure; IAs shown, the base 12 isdeflected between. the feet 13 thereof and said'deflectedportion isprovided'with a pair of spaced longitudinally disposedslots 15 for thereception of screw-bolts 16 one of which :is located in eachf of said"$.o ts.: shown in Figs. 1 and 20f the drawings, each of theqbolts "leisof the-fben'tflorhooked type and is extended laterallyat one offits ends,j through an opening 17 located nearflthe free end of one of the prongs18 of the frame: of

the hanger which frame is designated as a whole by the reference numeral19 and is formed into a substantiallyU-shapedmem- By preference, theframe 19 made of materialsubstantially U-sh'aped in cross-section sothat when bent to form} the forked orsubstantiallyllfshaped frrameflhechannels of the prongs-158 'will be presented outwardly or opposite eachother as' lx'vill be clearly understood by referencetofFig's. 4L and?)jofthe drawing, n which views it will beobserved thatlitheadjacentsurfaces rounded. That end. of each of the screw-.

bolts 16 adjacent the openings 17 of the arms 18 in which they arelocated is provided with a head 20 to securely hold said bolts inposition. Threaded on each of the bolts 16 above the base 12 is a nut 21which preferably rest on washers 22 interposed between said nuts and thebase. By this arrangement it is apparent that the prongs 18 of the frame19 of the hanger can be adjusted longitudinally with respect to the baseor at right angles thereto. Each of the arms 18 of the hanger frame isprovided on its inner surface with a series of openings 22 located oneabove the other and by preference longitudinally elongated as shown. Theopenings 23 of one of the arms 14 are located directly opposite theopenings in the other arm 18 of the hanger frame and are for thereception and retention of the supporting member 24, whichby preferencehas its ends substantially rectangular in shape like the shape of theopenings 23 in which said ends are adapted to fit. This arrangement ofthe ends ofthe supporting member or bar 24 and said openings willprevent undue rocking movement of said ar or member. The member 24 isprovided at its middle with a transversely disposed opening 25 for thereception and engagement with a screw-bolt 26 which has one of its endsformed with an eye or loop 27 for the purpose to be presently explained.The screw-bolt 26 is adjustably mounted in the opening 25 of the bar ormember 24 and may be held in the desired adjusted position by means ofnuts 28 engagingsaid bolt above and below said member.

Transversely located in the eye 27 of the bolt 26 is a bolt 29 which hasa head 30 on one of its ends and engages a nut 31' with its other end.This bolt 29 is extended through suitable openings in the ears orextensions 32 on the members 33 and 34 of the keeper or retainer for thebearing sleeve. for the shaft. One of these ears or extensions 32 islocated as shown in Fig. 1 on each side of the eye 27 and saidextensions are held in such positions by means of the bolt, 29, its head30 and nut 31 as is obvious The members 33 and 34 which constitute thekeeper or holder for the bearing sleeve for the shaft are substantiallysemi-circular in shape and one of said members, for instance, the member33, has on its end opposite its extension 32, a hook 35 which en gagesanother hook 36 on the adjacent end of the member 34, thusdetachably-locking the members 33 and 34 together, yet in such a mannerthat when the screw-bolt 29 is loosened or removed from the extensions32 the members 33 and 34 can be separated. Each of these members is bypreference bellied outwardly as is clearly shown in Fig.

4 of the drawing, so that their edgeswill bite into or securely engagethe sleeve 37 which is by preference split as indicated in Figs. land 6of the drawings and made of wood or other slightly flexible material inorder to prevent undue wear and excessive located in the cavity oropening of said sleeve.

In Fig. 6 of the drawing 1 have shown a modification in the constructionof the keeper or retainer for the sleeve 37 which I may sometimes employand which consists of a split circular band-like member 39 which has atits split portion apertured extensions 32 for the same purpose as theextensions 32 on the members 33 and 34 above described In thismodification, the band like member 39 is also outwardly beveled as arethe parts 33 and 34 shown inFig. 4 of the drawing and above mentioned.This outwardly bellied construction of the bearing sleeve keeper notonly performs the function of securely holding the sleeve 37 or bitinginto the same, but it also serves the purpose when the bearing sleeve 37is located in the positions shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4 of the drawings,to contact with the inner rounded surfaces of the prongs 13 of theframe, in such a manner as to assist in holding the sleeve 37 in properposition be tween said prongs, yet, when it is desired to detach orremove the support 24 and its members from the frame for any purpose,the above named construction will permit the keeper and the. sleeve tobe readily moved from between the prongs to one'side thereof, when thekeeper maybe turned on the pivot bolt 29 until it assumes about theposition shown by continuous lines in Fig. 5, and by dotted lines inFig. 2 of the drawing, when it is obvious that the supporting bar 24 maybe moved lengthwise thereof into one of the openings 23 of the prongs ofthe frame which will disengage the other 'endof-said supporting bar fromthe opposite opening in the opposite prong of the frame and permit thesupporting bar and'i-ts attachments to be removed from the frame for thepurpose of changing sleeves to accommodate shafts of different sizes. 7

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is I 1. A shaft hanger consisting ofasupporting base adapted to be fastened to a permanent support, aU-shaped frame secured at its ends to said base and having in its innerwalls opposed and longitudinally spaced openings, a transverselydisposed supporting member detachably located in a pair of saidopenings, a rod threaded in said supporting member between the endsthereof, a shaft bearing mounted on one end of said rod and adapted sothat before attaching the shaft said bearing may be moved outwardly forthe purpose of permitting the detachment and replacement of thesupporting member in any of the openings of the frame.

2. In a shaft hanger, the combination with a suitably supported base, ofa substantially U-shaped frame secured at its ends to said base, atransversely disposed supporting member mounted on the frame, a keeperconsisting of a band having external projections directed toward saidsupporting member, a bearing member located within said keeper, aconnection uniting said projections to said supporting member, saidkeeper and bearing member being held agamst vertical movement by theinner walls of the frame and against horizontal movement by the saidsupporting member.

3. In a shaft hanger, the combination with a suitably supported base,of-a substantially U-shaped frame secured at its ends to said base, atransversely disposed supporting member mounted in the frame, a keeperconsisting of a broken band having its ends converging and directedtoward said supporting member, a bearing member located within saidkeeper, a connection uniting the free ends of the band to saidsupporting member, said keeper and bearing member 4. In a shaft hanger,the combination with a supporting base having a deflected portionprovided with longitudinally extended slots, of a substantially U-shapedframe mounted at its ends for adjustment longitudinally with respect tothe base and having in its inner walls a series of longitudinallydisposed and spaced openings, of a, transversely disposed supportingmember dr-atachably located at its ends in a pair of said openings, anexpansible keeper pivotally connected to said member, and a flexiblesplit bearing member for a shaft located within said keeper. I

5. In a shaft hanger,the combination with a supporting base, of asubstantially U- shaped frame mounted at its ends on said base, andhaving in its inner walls a series of longitudinally disposed and spacedopenings, of a transversely disposed supporting member detachably'located at its ends in a pair of said openings, an expansiblekeeperpivotally connected to said member, said keeper being cross-sectionallyoutwardly bellied, and a flexible split bearing member for i a shaftlocated within said keeper.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, at Kilbourn,Wisconsin, on this, the 17th day of July, 1920.

JEREMIAH c. FITZGERALD.

